Hate.

Erina ran out of the house and told everyone to wait there. She began running towards the direction that Kai had left.

Erina jumped up the buildings as well. Regular guards of the Kuroshi Clan were only at E-class. The clan had improved quite a bit while Kai was gone. In the past years, Mikado was at E-class and so were the head elders and elders but during the three years, everyone in the clan had suspiciously gone up a level or two. Mikado's current level was estimated to be B-class while the head elder was C-class. The requirement to be a regular elder is now D-class, fifth step.

It was obvious that the duke's stay here was part of the reason of this sudden increase in strength.

Erina used her powers to the limit without caring for leaving ice on the floor. She chased after Kai with the traces of leaking magic he's leaving behind.

What happened to Kai so suddenly, he was fine when we were going home... wait, could it be that he lied about the sleeping technique? If that's the case then something dangerous is possessing Kai, something very dangerous.

Erina quickened her pace and finally arrived above a roof where Kai stood with his back facing Erina.

"Kai, what are you doing?"

She asked calmly.

"I'm just kicking down the fools who are barking up the wrong tree."

"You killed them!"

Kai's cold words shocked Erina. It was one thing if he normally acted like this but he had a good nature. Even if he did torture those people or attack the patriarch's mansion, he killed nobody in those incidents but he suddenly burned those innocent guards that were only following orders to death. Their features were destroyed and even their families wouldn't recognize them.

"And what's wrong with that?"

Kai turned around slowly, his voice had bloodlust laced all over it.

"I knew it, you're not Kai. Who are you?!"

Erina created a rapier and pointed it at Kai.

"No, I am certainly Kai."

Kai removed his mask and revealed his face, a devilish smirk etched into his expression.

"A demon?!"

Erina instantly brandished her weapon.

"Wow, for a little kid to actually figure it out instantly... Ah, could it be that you've read the books?"

"That's right. Demons are the only ones who can possess someone without changing the other person's forms. They also gain part of that person's knowledge to blend in."

The demon laughed.

"Taking over a dying child is as easy as taking candy from a baby. I managed to confuse him and make him accept my terms, his life for his body. I let him live in exchange for his body, that means his soul is safe and the only way you can get him back is if you expel me."

Erina readied her powers.

Demons don't like lying. Unless their very existences are threatened, they wouldn't lie. Even if their host body was dying, they'd only want to speak the truth. When a demon makes a contract, they bet it on their life that they'll fulfill it. In a way, you could say that demons in Gaia were the opposite of what Earth thinks demons are.

Religion in this world is widely-practiced but demons aren't considered unholy. They are enemies of the human race but not the Gods. But Gods and demons have different natures to begin with, it was inevitable that they'd clash with each other. They hold equal power but have different methods.

The demons control everything from behind the scenes while Gods control everything from above.

But normal demons are at most the level of an enhanced human. Higher magic capacity and power, higher regen and stronger body, and prolonged lifespan. They also didn't look much different from humans other than their horns. A class higher, demons get a dark-brown skin tone and longer horns.

Another class higher and demons become slightly bluish and have horns so long that they go a head higher than a demon. Then the class after that, demons lose their physical form and turn into soul-like entities but retain their shape, these types of demons have horns stretching from the front heading to the side. And finally, the highest class of demons can look like any form but their horns will be different.

The highest male demon's horns are circular stretching from front to back and stretch out above eye level but the highest female demon's horns would be the exact opposite, a circle heading to the back of their heads and in the end, they'd droop down to below eye level. But there are special cases for all of these.

Demons first gain the ability to possess when they reach the soul-like entity body and the highest demons can possess any and all beings weaker than them. The three other types of demons have to create a contract to possess a body. When possessing a body, the demons lose their horns and features to look exactly like the host body.

The only reason that Erina could figure it out was because of the bloodlust and malice that the demon was releasing and the fact that Kai's form hadn't changed despite being controlled.

"Judging from the fact that you had to desperately cling to a boy's life, I'd say you're a second-class demon on the verge of death."

Erina knowing that fact, attacked.

"Freeze!"

Ice spread from the sole of her foot to the demon at a rapid pace.

The demon somersaulted but Erina's ice followed the point where the demon would land and held onto the demon's foot.

"Simple ice."

The demon's legs burst into flames and landed on the floor.

This is why I didn't want to fight Kai using other elements, this is going to be so annoying!

The demon faded into the shadows of the flame and disappeared from Erina's sight. Since it was night, darkness has a huge advantage. But...

"I've got you."

"Save your sleep talking for when you're sleeping."

The demon appeared behind Erina but Erina immediately froze the demon.

"Amazing, you actually found out where I was before I even talked."

The demon was frozen from head to toe leaving only the face.

"Get out of Kai, now."

Erina readied her rapier.

"No can do."

The ice began melting but Erina quickly froze it once more.

"I won't let you escape."

Erina stabbed forward and pierced Kai's shoulder.

"Fool, I won't be hurt by something like this. Only this body will shoulder the pain. And did you know, demons get stronger with negative emotions?"

Flames burst from the demon's whole body and melted Erina's ice. Erina charged forward instead of retreating and thrust her rapier forward.

But before attacking, Erina stopped.

"Kai...?"

Erina looked around but nobody was there. She had heard Kai's voice.

"Why?"

Erina was interrupted by the demon who attacked her.

Erina clicked her tongue and coated her foot in ice. She delivered a kick to the demon's abdomen.

"Why am I being afflicted by an incurable disease? Why am I the only one who dies? A second life but I died even earlier, why? WHY? WHY?!"

Erina kept hearing Kai's voice inside her head. She held her head with one arm and continued brandishing her rapier.

The demon disappeared and appeared beside her with a fist coated in flames. Erina was forced to let go of her head and coat her arm in ice.

But...

"?!"

Erina was flung away, her arm was burned slightly.

"Do you get it now? HAHAHAHA!"

The demon made a maniacal laugh as he faced the sky.

"I'm using his anger, his sorrow, everything to get stronger! I must say, this one has a lot of negative emotions. He holds a lot more than the average human. When I look at his memories, you wouldn't even find a trace of it. He hides his face behind a mask."

A pillar of flame rose up from the demon's body all the way to the sky. A flame pillar that large would alert every member of the clan.

"Tomorrow, I will eliminate everyone here. I'll use all the powers this body has without reserve, I'm sure you know how terrifying that would be."

The demon disappeared once more and punched Erina in the gut. Her consciousness faded for an instant and she fell down on her knees while clutching her stomach.

Erina's hair began turning silver but the demon mercilessly kneed her chin and she blacked out.

The demon in Kai's body then turned around and wore the mask once more.

"Hehehe...hahahaha...MUHAHAHAHA!"

The demon laughed as he walked and disappeared after he jumped off the roof.

"..."

Erina sat up while holding her head. There was a soft cushion under her and in front of her was the duke.

"Where...?"

"You were found unconscious on top of the roof. You haven't been informed but we were going to leave today due to sudden problems at the palace with your brother."

"What?!"

Erina looked around, she was in the carriage. She looked out of the window and saw that they were already far away from the clan, it wasn't in her line of sight.

"I found something interesting there. A demon possessing a boy, I had no obligation to subdue it and so I just left it be. If nothing unnecessary happens, the leader there would be enough to take care of it."

Erina clenched her fist. She knew that Kai's body wouldn't be stopped by someone as weak as the patriarch.

"You are not allowed to leave. You will be married off in six years. You will enter school to increase your value and diligently work on that book. In two days, we will arrive and in seven days, you will take the enrollment test."

The duke's voice was cold as he saw that Erina was about to jump off the carriage.

Erina froze in fear and sat back down.

Everyone, please... be safe!